The World Will Test Us, Part III

Ed MorrisseyPosted at 12:10 pm on March 21, 2009

Joe Biden tried to warn America; he really did. In October, while campaigning for his running mate, Biden predicted what would happen if America elected an untested, inexperienced, single-term Senator as President:

“Mark my words,” the Democratic vice presidential nominee warned at the second of his two Seattle fundraisers Sunday. “It will not be six months before the world tests Barack Obama like they did John Kennedy. The world is looking.”

Two Russian planes flew within 500 feet of U.S. Navy ships participating in military drills with South Korea, military officials said.

After trying unsuccessfully to contact the pilots, U.S. fighter jets met up with the Russian planes and flew with them until they left the area, CNN reported.

One incident occurred Monday, when Russian Ilyushin IL-38 maritime patrol aircraft flew over the aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis while it was in international waters in the Sea of Japan. The Russian aircraft flew within 500 feet of the carrier, which was lower than other Russian flyovers in the past year, military officials said.

On Tuesday, two Russian long-range bombers overflew the Stennis and the USS Blue Ridge several times at about 2,000 feet, U.S. military officials told CNN.

Earlier this month, the Chinese started harassing an unarmed Navy exploration vessel, requiring the US to send armed escorts into the international waters of the South China Sea. North Korea is about to launch an ICBM with a reported range that easily includes American territory. Moscow has flipped Kyrgyzstan and put our supply routes into Afghanistan in jeopardy.

Biden was right; they’re testing the mettle of the new President. Evidentally, they’re finding that he doesn’t have much, and they’re becoming more and more arrogant about their provocations.